Warehouse 13, Level 4
by cbiggs
Summary: Why would one level of windows be intact while the other 8 levels are dilapidated?
1. Chapter 1

It was a crisp fall day down at the inner harbor. A tinge of warm air brushed by as well as a wrapper from one of the street vendors. People propped themselves upon the steps leading to the water. The autumn sun filtered through the clouds. The water remained mostly calm with a few ripples from the breeze and far off boats. Other took advantage of such a spectacular fall day to exercise their boats before winter came aboard.

Around the block, kids played street hockey and jumped rope. Their guardians stooped themselves on the front steps and conversed amongst themselves. A hockey puck suddenly bounced off the side of a nearby car, and a curmudgeonly character who happened to be peering from the window came out to investigate. The kids fought back as hard as they possibly could, while the curmudgeonly character waved a hand and mumbled.

The inner harbor is its own special place where people flock to get away from the hustle of the business district. Also it's far enough from the beltway so noise pollution is not too great.

There is an abandoned warehouse across from the business district and before the water starts. All but one of the levels have broken windows. Level number four appears to be in good shape for some reason. The warehouse used to house a computer repair facility. The main entrance is chained up to deter vagrants from breaking in and possibly starting a fire to keep warm. The old coal chute around the side of the warehouse had also been welded shut for the same reason.

The computer repair facility stayed in business for a year or two. High turnover rates and a dwindling economy forced the facility to close down. Two weeks later, spectators saw smoke billow out of the ground level. The fire marshall prompted an investigation which lead to the discovery of used canvases and old oil rags. This former art studio had not been occupied in a while, but some of the old oil rags spontaneously combusted. There was quite a bit of smoke damage so a condemned sign was posted on the main entrance along with the chains for added security.

But what went on inside level four?


	2. Chapter 2

A progressive real estate company from Manhattan acquired this building to fix and flip. Four representatives from the real estate company travelled down to the inner harbor to examine the condemned building. The brick shell was in fair condition but most of the windows would need replacing. Level four caught their attention because for its apparent pristine condition compared to the rest. The crew of four business men used a saw and blow torch to cut through the chains and padlock. The chains fell down on the ground and then the crew of four took turns kicking the door in. The door bangs against the wall. The ground level showed definite signs of smoke and water damage. Structural integrity of the warehouse created concern since it was the ground level. The crew continued investigating the warehouse. They came across a narrow interior stairwell. This stairwell lead only to the fourth level.

The remaining five levels must have been added on at a later date. But why was level four well-preserved?

Once the crew flipped the latch to level four's entrance, they came across a discovery. An interior layer of concrete block built up the brick shell. A second layer of seeded glass was mounted into the block wall. Could level four been a top secret hideout? The crew continues to browse the space. Restrooms, a cargo elevator, and a small room huddled in the center of level four.

The upper levels could have only been accessed by way of the elevator since there was no longer an exterior fire escape, only the remaining brackets mounted on the shell. The elevator still worked so two crew members went up in the elevator while the other two stayed put.


	3. Chapter 3

Two of the four realtors climbed aboard the elevator and shut the gate. The elevator began to ascend to the fifth level. The pulleys strained and the two realtors prayed that the elevator would at least make it to the fifth level. The elevator stopped at the fifth level, and the two realtors raised the gate and walked out onto the floor. Sunlight filtered through the seeded glass windows, illuminating the dust particles floating in the air. Objects covered in drop cloths adorned the interior. Wooden crates and pallets created a maze that made the realtors meander through the space. Curiosity got to one of the realtors regarding the drop cloths. He went over toward the series of windows so he could have some light on the subject as he removed a drop cloth. He uncovered a framed mirror that had the slightest bit of tarnish around the edges but remained in good condition. Both realtors roamed the space and began to remove the drop cloths. They uncovered mirror after mirror. The fifth level soon looked like a funhouse. Both realtors walked carefully around the space so no mirror would get broken, fearing the multiple years of bad luck to follow. One of the realtors stumbled upon a crate and the lid slid off. Amber bottles of some sort of liquid sat in the crate. One of the realtors unscrewed a bottle and sniffed. This liquid clearly was an ammonia-based liquid. The realtor screwed the cap back on and set the bottle down. The two realtors climbed aboard the elevator and descended to the fourth level where the other two realtors stayed.


	4. Chapter 4

The two realtors climbed aboard the elevator and descended to the fourth floor where the other representatives stayed. The two realtors told the others about the abundance of mirrors up on the fifth floor. One of the remaining representatives discovered an access panel in the restroom and found some documents along with some crude sketches of floorplans. The crew migrate over to a window for light and to examine their latest finds. One document mentioned some dates and what seemed like the name of a business. The crude sketches told another story. The crew focused on the sketch of the fourth floor. The exterior walls on the sketch had once been a single layer, and the small room near the elevator had been added at a later date. Why were the exterior walls doubled up, and what purpose did the small room serve?

Two of the crew members realized the windows on the fourth floor provided light but were thicker than the windows on the fifth floor. These two members initially thought that the thick glass and doubled-up walls were for security purposes. Further investigation needed to be done. As the crew gathered up their findings to take back to the office, one member walked over to the small room and rattled the door knob. It was locked. The crew head over to the stairwell when one member steps on a loose board, and gets rudely awakened by a quick tap on the head. The others quickly follow the tinging noise of the object, and reach down to pick it up. It was a key!


End file.
